co2 monitor

[croweater]

Hey dudes just wondering if anyone knows of a cheap co2 test tube syringe type tester?

or even a cheap under $500 gas monitor. ive googled for hours with no outcome cheers

[F420]

More info needed.

What are you trying to achieve here? do you want a full blown C02 system, or a way of testing homebrew co2?

[croweater]

i just need a way to measure the level of co2 in the room.

mainly to ensure safety, but also to maintain the 1500ppm im trying get too.

ive seen syringe type co2 tester that seems to be the cheapest way to go about it.

i was just wondering if anyone knows of a better way?

cheers

[F420]

have never used C02 myself, but I have used the home brew method before and yea it makes the plants grow really fast.

 

Carbon Dioxide Enrichment

 

Carbon Dioxide enrichment is a difficult subject. While growth can be phenomenally improved, the danger of reduce growth rates through temperature and humidity makes the undertaking more complicated than it might seem on the surface.

 

What is Carbon Dioxide (CO2) enrichment

 

All plant cells are made from organic molecules, which, by that definition require carbon. Science fiction calls us all Carbon Based Life Forms. Plants obtain Carbon from the air, and cannot get it through any other method. In an indoor or controlled environment, over feeding with CARBON DIOXIDE can increase growth rates.

 

The stomata under the leaves are tiny holes that the plants breathe through. (Transpiration) The Stomata work very hard to obtain CARBON DIOXIDE and plants leaves often change shape just to catch fresh air.

 

What can be expected?

 

Ordinary Air contains around 300ppm (parts per million) of carbon dioxide.

 

If we said 300ppm is normal growth, by increasing CARBON DIOXIDE to 500-700ppm we would expect very little other than greener healthier growth.

 

From 1000ppm to 1500ppm, the growth rates accelerate. Some articles claim 30% and some up to 100% extra plant growth and development over normal growth.

 

From 1500ppm to 2000ppm the growth slows again, and above 2000 the plants actually choke, and the growth rates are below normal.

 

At 5000ppm your fingernails and skin will begin to turn blue and you will become sick. You may not be able to identify this, generally, as only people unaffected will be able to see the change. Get into fresh air and seek medical advice.

 

How is it done?

 

All Methods for CARBON DIOXIDE enrichment require high maintainance. Examples of the most common are

 

Yeast

 

Unlikely to produce enough CARBON DIOXIDE to benefit the plants. Adds around 50-200ppm or so, and must be the correct temperature, and have the right sugar levels etc. to work at all.

 

Other chemical reactions

 

A product called CO2 enricha is $30 and has about 30 cubic meters worth of CARBON DIOXIDE crystals. Helps boost plants in small areas, but expensive to use on a large scale. Add one measurer full of crystals to water and away it goes.

 

LPG burners

 

Burners are like a BBQ, and may add up to 10 degrees to your growroom temperature. Difficult to manage. Prices from around $350

 

Bottled Carbon Dioxide (Beer Gas or Food Grade CARBON DIOXIDE)

 

Using a regulator, we measure the number of litres of carbon dioxide to inject into a room atmosphere. First we have to stop the exhaust fans; and to eliminate leakage, reduce any gaps under doors etc. Add enough litres of CARBON DIOXIDE to raise CARBON DIOXIDE levels to 1500ppm. An enrichment period is set, usually at 30 minutes as air temperature will build up from the use of lighting or sunlight if left longer, however sometimes it is set at 60 minutes if allowed by a cooler room temperature. After Enrichment period has elapsed, the exhaust fans then start up again, and draw out hot air, and any unused CARBON DIOXIDE. Because we will not know how much CARBON DIOXIDE is used up during the enrichment process, we don’t know how much more CARBON DIOXIDE to inject. We must reduce the CARBON DIOXIDE back down to a known level, so we can inject gas again. This level is normal atmosphere, 300ppm approx. We turn on the fans and draw out at least 10 times the air of the room, replacing it with normal fresh air. We then inject the appropriate litres of CARBON DIOXIDE and we redo the whole cycle.

 

We will need to use digital timers with battery backup at $50 each, 1 for the fans, 1 for the injection. We also need a regulator, flow meter and solenoid to be powered by the timer, around $400 for the set. The only real

 

issue is that we have to keep the temperature below 35 degrees Celsius and we can either set the timers to give longer fan times at appropriate hot periods of the day, or use a thermostat, and wire up the unit so another set of exhaust and inlet fans come on when the temperature hits the maximum temperature, and the CARBON DIOXIDE injection timer has its power withdrawn at that temperature. This is more expensive way to set up, and an all in one timer unit and thermostat is available for around $700-$800 to override the injection and run your only set of fans continually until temperatures drop. This system is best as you cannot predict temperature changes in a growroom with accuracy.

 

You can also use an infra-red unit which detects CARBON DIOXIDE levels and maintains them at the set level of PPM, and also maintains the temperature with a relay to a air-conditioner thus maintaining a perfect environment. From $3500 plus, they are not cheap.

 

As the growth rate is faster, any problems will happen faster, and as such all CARBON DIOXIDE systems will require checking twice per day as a minimum including water, pH, nutrients, lamp height etc

 

Why do plants stop responding to Carbon Dioxide enrichment?

 

After 4-6 weeks, depending on the environment and plant type, plants can stop responding to CARBON DIOXIDE. This is due to the stomata on the bottom of the leaves closing slightly. The reason is that the plants sense the high CARBON DIOXIDE and realize that they no longer have to have work so hard to their carbon dioxide, and stop trying so hard. Imagine you were ‘breathing heavily’ and caught your breath, then you would breath more shallow. To avoid this, it is best to only use CARBON DIOXIDE enrichment for 2 weeks, then a week off, and so on, which results in higher yields as the plant is continually seeking as much CARBON DIOXIDE as possible.

 

How can I combine CARBON DIOXIDE and air conditioning?

 

If the growroom can be sealed and air-conditioned, then the fans need not be switched on for many hours. The amount of CARBON DIOXIDE is usually enough for 4 to 6 hours. Some testing might be of benefit, and a CARBON DIOXIDE kit that has two single tests and a measuring syringe is $40 You can determine how long the CARBON DIOXIDE stays at high levels with the test kit.

 

How Can I achieve high growth without CARBON DIOXIDE?

 

Easy, I can tell you that it is much easier to use common sense to increase yields than to use CARBON DIOXIDE

 

If you have one light, and one hydroponic system, to double your yield, add another growing area and light and system and increase the ventilation

 

All that effort in CARBON DIOXIDE, and if your regulator fails, and they get no CARBON DIOXIDE, your plants could be slowed or stopped for the lack of air. If there is a leak, you can asphyxiate your crop in a few hours. You could cook your plants if the temperature goes too high in a CARBON DIOXIDE environment. When pH or nutrient problems occur, they harm the plants at around 4 times the rate when plants are accelerated by CARBON DIOXIDE.

 

Finally, the yield is better. But you can double your crop just be adding more growing area. Ask yourself what your goals are before spending money on a CARBON DIOXIDE unit. It really is not the answer for most people. It suits people who are maxed out on power, or have no room left. Perhaps another location should be considered as well as the current one?

 

CARBON DIOXIDE can be difficult, can produce problems, and is definitely not for the beginner. I would personally give up growing before using CARBON DIOXIDE again. It is too easy to damage a system when it grows at that rate, and there are so many variables. Needing to fill tanks more regularly to keep nutrients from becoming too strong. The tanks need to adjusted in the morning and afternoon. Lamp height may need to be adjusted most days.

 

How to calculate the litres of CARBON DIOXIDE to achieve 1500ppm of CARBON DIOXIDE in the air?

 

Width of room, in centimetres, divide by 10

 

Length of room, in centimetres, divide by 10

 

Height of room, in centimetres, divide by 10

 

Multiply them together, this is the number of litres in the room

 

1ppm is 1 millionth of the room litrage.

 

To make 1500ppm take away 300ppm of normal air, which is 1200ppm, and work out how many litres of gas in the room would be 1200 x 1 millionth of the room litrage.

 

Happy Gardening

 

www.hydrocentre.com.au

[fsagertyaef]

most easy to understand compliation on co2 ive found thank you i think ill wait a year or so to blow the money and learn more first

[jimbojones5678]

That's a damn good read F420! Clearly lets anyone considering CO2 injection, know what they are about to get into.

 

Cheers

 

Jimbo

[AussieJoe]

CO 2 enrichement is quite easy to establish.Buy yourself a carbon dioxide enrichement unit *Compugas* is a good one.All you do is punch in the dimensions of your room as in length,height,width and the amount of CO2 you want to have in your room (1500ppm) press the button and the unit will calculate automatically how long your CO2 is injected in the room to reach the desired level.You plug in your exhaust fan to the unit .......the unit delivers the CO2 in the room then after an hour or so maybe 2 the fans exhaust the stale CO2 out of the room and the cycle starts again with CO2 injected into the room.Compugas panels have been around for quite a while ......cost is prolly bout 700 or so with solenoid and regulator......get the CO2 from the gas supplies (agricultural garde is fine) no need for food grade.If you are using CO2 .....you would use it during the daylight hours.While Im on the subject if you are going to use CO2 injection delivery system via gas bottle you may as well pick up a bottle of I think its called *Pest A gas * that way if you get mites or other bugs you bcan just hook up the bottle to the injection unit and gas your room and eradicate any pests.Works great gas gets to all parts of the plants ,inject leave for a few hours then exhaust.

[AussieJoe]

Here is a picture of the *Compugas Unit* its an old model but gives you some idea

[AussieJoe]

Here is a picture of the *Compugas Unit* its an old model but gives you some idea

and a picture of gas bottle and solenoid